Number One
by thebeautifulbadass
Summary: Liz doesn't want to leave things unsaid (Lizvabi oneshot). Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Liz and Samar were outgunned. There was a strong possibility that one or both of them wouldn't make it out of here. No one even knew where they were. They had received a time-sensitive lead and left without waiting for backup. Liz had always hated that Red had his people tail her, but right now she was hoping someone had followed them here.

A bullet had already grazed Samar's leg before they made it behind the huge pipe that they were currently crouched behind. She clutched at her calf, wincing, before turning and shooting a couple rounds in the direction of their aggressors.

Samar turned to look at Liz. "Keen. If you can make it to that door, you might be able to get to the car unharmed. I'll cover you."

Liz frowned. Was she kidding? "No way, I'm not leaving you behind."

"Don't be a hero, Liz. If you stay, we both die."

"Then you go and I'll cover _you_. You're not injured that badly, you have just as much a chance as I do."

"No."

Samar was firm. But Liz refused to leave her here to die alone, in pain.

"Samar-"

Liz had barely said her name when Samar cut her off. "No," she repeated.

"I'm not leaving you here to die." Liz's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was firm, resolute.

Liz turned to shoot at their enemies who were gradually nearing their hiding place.

Samar's voice was trembling with frustration. "Do you want to die, Elizabeth? Because that's what will happen if you don't leave right this second."

Liz shook her head furiously. "I'm not leaving."

"Why the hell not?" Samar asked in an angry whisper.

Liz gulped. It was now or never. She wasn't going to die with things left unsaid.

"Because I love you, Samar. I love you and I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself for me."

Samar looked shocked. For once, she didn't know what to say. Liz turned to keep their adversaries at bay again, buying them a little more time.

"You love me?" Samar asked, seemingly skeptical.

"Yes. Which is why I'm saving your life."

Liz suddenly stood up from behind the pipe, shooting almost blindly at the five men who were now ducking behind objects to avoid her bullets.

"Liz!" Samar protested.

"Go. NOW." Liz was fierce, determined. Samar could tell that she wasn't going to change Liz's mind, plus she had already put herself into the line of fire. There was nothing she could do.

Her throat clenched with fear and anger, but she forced herself to crawl away from her hiding place and make a break for the door, Liz's gunshots distracting the men from her retreat.

As soon as she made it out the door, Red was running toward her with three men. She didn't stop to question how he had known where they were. "Go! Liz is still in there!" she yelled, frantically gesturing toward the door.

She tried to follow them back inside, figuring one more gun would help now that she had more men on her side. But Red held out his arm, stopping her from moving forward. "No. Go start the car," he ordered as he ran inside.

The sound of gunshots was ringing in her ears, but she turned and ran as quickly as she could to the car they had left nearby. Once inside, she let out a strangled sob, a mixture of despair and pain, while starting the engine.

Suddenly, Red burst from the warehouse door, an injured Liz in his arms, and Samar slammed her foot on the gas, speeding toward them, her heart in her throat. Red's men were obviously still in the midst of a firefight in the warehouse, but at least he had gotten Liz out.

Red flung open the passenger door, placing Liz carefully in the front seat next to Samar and immediately closing the door behind her, turning to leave. "Where-" Samar began to ask, but he was already running back to the warehouse.

Red wasn't one to leave his men behind, not even for Liz. Not when she had someone else to take care of her. And right now that person was Samar.

"Go, go!" Liz shouted hoarsely.

Samar didn't need to be told again. She raced away from the immediate danger, tires spinning dirt into the air behind them.

"Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Samar anxiously asked as soon as they were on the road.

Liz shook her head as she ripped off her jacket, quickly wrapping it around her leg wound, before firmly pressing her hand to her sleeve in order to staunch the flow of blood coming from the injury on her arm. "It's not safe, they know we're injured. These are just surface wounds, like yours. We'll get fixed up at the Post Office."

Samar nodded and continued driving, barely containing her disbelief over everything that had just happened. Her shock at Liz's admission. Her anger at Liz for risking her life. Her terror and guilt once she escaped, thinking she'd surely left Liz to her death. Her all-consuming relief when she saw Red carrying Liz out of the warehouse.

Once inside the safety of the parking area, she stopped the car and turned to Liz, trying to organize her thoughts. "Promise me you won't do that again. Endangering yourself in such a reckless fashion is entirely unacceptable. You are number one on this task force, Liz. Reddington needs you more than he needs me."

Liz frowned. "I don't care what Reddington needs. I need _you_ , Samar. _You're_ number one on this task force to me. So we'll have to agree to disagree."

Samar's chest ached. She had never expected this to happen, especially after Liz had been so cold and untrusting of her in the beginning. She tried to joke it off, even though her eyes were stinging. "So you love me, huh?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "I think we already established that."

"We did. But just so we're clear, I feel the same."

Liz's brow furrowed in surprise and confusion. She hadn't been expecting her feelings to be reciprocated. "You…" she trailed off.

"Don't act so surprised, I've been attempting to flirt with you since the Covington case. You're not just Reddington's number one."

Samar leaned over and kissed Liz gently, showing her that her words were true.


End file.
